Henry County Historic Preservation Commission writing book on rural country schools

The Henry County Historic Preservation Commission held its October monthly meeting at East Grove Farms Meadery on Wednesday October 16. Present were commission members Chad Brousseau, Martha Francy, Joel Garretson, Faye Heartsill, Caroline Lehman, Larry D. Roth, and Mary Savage.

Guests attending were Judy Rawson, Cindy Houston, Cathie Shreiner, and Cathy and Dave Helman. Steph Davis from East Grove Farms assisted in setting up the meeting and lunch for the group.

The minutes from September's meeting were approved and recent correspondence from the State Historical Society and other historical organizations were discussed. The bronze plaque for the most recent National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) property was presented to the group and will be placed on the 'Hulme House,” Sandra Hoover's home north of Trenton. This is the first NRHP site in Jefferson Township. A contract for nominating the second property in the township, The Schantz House and Carpentry Shop, was issued to Rebecca McCarley at Spark Consulting.

The commission's other major project is developing a book on Henry County's rural country schools which will include state and local history of rural education, inventory of remaining school house buildings, photos past and present, historic maps, school records, and personal accounts. The book will be organized by township. Anyone with information or photos or artifacts is welcome to contribute to the book. Materials will be scanned in and returned to the contributor immediately. Contact any of the commissioners or chairman Joel Garretson (319-217-0276) if you'd like to contribute.

The meeting concluded with a trip to the East Grove Cemetery and Quaker Meeting site joined by eight members of the Henry County Pioneer Cemetery Commission. East Grove is only accessible by wagon trail through the Garretson timber. Joel Garretson provided a tractor and wagon for the tour and a history of this long forgotten pioneer abolitionist community established in 1839. The Quaker Meeting house was used for worship for several decades then converted to a rural country school called Jackson No. 2 on Nov. 6, 1854.

The corner stones of the building are the only visible signs remaining as the building was moved to another location on old Agency Road in 1855 where it eventually was destroyed by fire. The next Historic Preservation Commission will be held November 20 at the Henry County Courthouse at 1 p.m.